A Navy judge has decided that Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher will face court-martial in the alleged murder of an ISIS prisoner.
Rear Adm. Yancy Lindsey, commander of Navy Region Southwest, decided that Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher will be arraigned Friday and face court-martial for several charges, including premeditated murder for the alleged killing of a 15-year-old ISIS fighter, NBC 7 San Diego reported.
Chief Gallagher will be arraigned Friday on long list of criminal charges including #warcrimes. Prosecutors argued Gallagher had allegedly killed civilians with sniper rifle & conducted the premeditated murder of a #prisonerofwar. https://t.co/90Rj4VZ0Xm
— International Crimes (@IntCrimDatabase) January 3, 2019
An Article 32 hearing was held Nov. 14, 2018, to determine if enough evidence existed to move the case to court-martial.
Gallagher has been held for more than 17 weeks in the Naval Consolidated Brig Miramar in San Diego. He was arrested on Sept. 11, 2018, at the Camp Pendleton Intrepid Spirit Center where he was receiving treatment for head injuries incurred from his overseas combat duty.
Gallagher faces 14 charges in total, including other accusations unrelated to the ISIS fighter incident, all of which were reported by other SEALs in his unit.
The ISIS fighter was reportedly detained in Mosul while wounded and being treated by a SEAL team for his injuries. Gallagher is accused of then using a knife to stab the prisoner multiple times, who eventually died from the wounds.
The Navy claims it has evidence including witness testimony and cellphone photos showing Gallagher holding up the ISIS fighter’s head alongside his hunting knife, and doing so again during a re-enlistment ceremony.
The Navy also claims to have a video of the ISIS prisoner before his death, but said it cannot reveal any of the photographic evidence over concerns that it may be used as propaganda by enemies of the U.S.
However, a YouTube video, in addition to exclusive documents obtained by Task & Purpose, show that the ISIS fighter was critically wounded prior to being detained and treated by the Navy SEAL team.
The video, uploaded May 15, 2017, shows Iraqi journalist Ali Jawad interviewing the barely conscious ISIS fighter as he laid on the ground with a severe wound to his leg.
The documents, which detail the interview with Iraqi ERD leaders and a Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) investigator, indicate that the fighter succumbed to his gunshot wounds that severed an artery in his leg.
Gallagher’s attorney, Phillip Stackhouse, told Task & Purpose in October, “What we’ve learned in our independent investigation into these allegations is that a crime simply didn’t happen.”
Gallagher’s wife, Andrea, and brother, Sean, have both argued that the charges have been fabricated in retaliation against Eddie.
“It’s just complete fabrication, it’s rumor,” Sean told Fox & Friends in November. “There were a few malcontents of guys that didn’t like being reprimanded for not wanting to engage in combat.”
“These allegations are malicious and shameless, and I know that my husband did not do what is alleged,” Andrea told American Military News last month.
